Reversible cutting blade means



Nov. 25, 1969 w. E. MARTIN 3,479,756

REVERSIBLE CUTTING BLADE MEANS Filed Feb. 16, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 25, 1969 w. E. MARTIN REVERSIBLE CUTTING BLADE MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 16. 195? nited States Patent 3,479,756 REVERSIBLE CUTTING BLADE MEANS William E. Martin, Martin Company, R0. Box 187, Kewanee, Ill. 61443 Filed Feb. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 616,551 Int. Cl. 1102f 3/ 76 11.5. Cl. 37-129 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A trailer type mobile earth moving dump truck providing a slef-loading and discharging material carrying bowl with an inlet opening for material access and entry during bowl movement and with the provision of an adjustable cooperative and reversible material cutting feed blade structure including closure means for the bowl opening all associated with the material access and bowl entry opening of the material receiving, carrying and discharg ing dump truck.

This invention relates to a vehicle in the form of a push or pull type self-loading dump truck trailer type unit equipped with an access opening for material flow into the truck bowl with a reversible material cutting blade associated with the bowl opening to direct material into said bowl during either direction of bowl travel over the surface being worked.

More specifically, this invention is directed to a material carrying vehicle wherein material is loaded through a downwardly disposed opening in the vehicle bowl during the motion of said bowl in either direction of travel over a surface being worked and apparatus is carried by the bowl to suspend a material cutting blade in a given relation to the bowl opening which provides means to divert or direct material into the bowl during either direction of motion of said bowl including modified operative means to also cause the blade to close the access opening in said bowl.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a trailer type of earth moving vehicle as a push or pull unit that is equipped with a single material access opening provided with a reversible cutting blade to function as the material diversion means for directing material into the earth carrying bowl during either selected direction of travel of the dump truck. It should be understood that the reversible blade feature can be adapted to any vehicle or to any earth carrying receptacle. In the present case such means has been embodied in the lower area of a vehicle of the kind and construction shown in my copending application Ser. No. 616,554 filed of even date herewith. And it is evident that such a vehicle with the reversible blade feature saves considerable time and wear and tear by being operable in a straight line travel fore or back to take on an discharge its material load without resorting to turn around time losing maneuvers between point of pickup and point of discharge.

Another object of this invention is to provide a blade that can be reversed for material feed in relation to the opening in a material carrying receptacle and one which includes coacting mechanism to bodily or swingably move said same blade into a position to close the material access opening for transport of the load thereby eleminating the need for closure devices such as power actuated swinging aprons or sliding gates for the receptacle open- As another object, the cutting blade is mounted for swinging motion about a given location on the bowl to orient such blade in relation to the access opening of the bowl and hydraulic means are provided to control the selected positions of the blade to meet the several conditions of operation of the bowl filling cycle.

"ice

And as another feature the invention provides, in addition to the object in the paragraph above the embodiment of movable blade bearing structure on the bowl which is controlled by further hydraulic means, which bearing structure can bodily or swingably displace the reversible blade to move this blade in a position to close the bowl opening through which the material has been deflected or directed by the blade while in its material gathering position or other operative position.

All other objects and advantages relating to the reversible cutting blade of this invention shall hereinafter appear in or become evident from the following detailed description having reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a tandem vehicle arrangement wherein the attached self-loading dump truck is illustrated as embodying a reversible cutting blade structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the reversible cutting blade mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary edge view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2 to show further detailed construction of such means;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross sectional View of the mechanism substantially as viewed along the plane of the line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a modified arrangement with cooperative closure means and the reversible cutting blade apparatus showing the same in side elevation on a fragmentary portion of an earth carrying receptacle; and

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 5 with the front receptacle wall and apparatus thereon removed.

FIG. 1 illustrates a tandem arrangement of the kind and character of my hereinbefore mentioned copending application which shows a power vehicle 1 and a dump truck vehicle 2 that has a wheel supported receptacle or bowl 3 rockably supported upon the wheel means 3a and further including a cooperative hydraulic and hitch assembly 4 and 5 connected by means of a bracket 6 to the upright fulcrum shaft bracket member 7 carried by the power vehicle 1. The outer end 8 of the hitch assembly 5 has a suitable ball and socket connection at 9 with bracket 6 to accommodate lateral tilt and fore and aft pitch of the receptacle vehicle 2 and the cylinder and hitch assembly 4 and 5 provide the means that control the height of the forward working end 10 of the receptacle or bowl 3 as the latter rocks on the wheel means 3a and also provide the regulatory means to dump the bowl 3.

As stated hereinbefore, the present reversible cutting blade apparatus 11 may be embodied in any receptacle construction at the access opening thereof to carry out us designed function, purpose and its operation and it is here, therefore, only described and shown as a part of the receptacle or bowl 3 of a self-dumping truck as one example of its inventive concept and of the inherent functions of such a blade member.

The receptacle or bowl 3 as it is more clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is a generally closed unit with continuous connected opposite side and front walls 12, 13' and 14 located generally upright over a bottom wall 15 and having a cylinder operated swinging end gate 16 as best shown in FIG. 1. A material access opening 17 is located in the bottom and loading end area of the bowl 3 as at the juncture of the bowl walls 14 and 15 in the low point of the bowl to receive material for bowl entry. The bowl 3 is also equipped with sideboards such as 3b pivoted at for vertical swinging movement by a cylinder means 3d to provide a means to control gravel, sand and other material against spreading during the bowl filling operation at opening 17.

Material is diverted or directed into bowl opening 17 by means of a cutting blade unit 18 which comprises a rigid carrier bar 19 that replaceably supports cutting knives 20 and 21 at opposite longitudinal edges thereof as best shown in FIG. 4. The upper surface of carrier bar 19 merges with the cutting edges of knives 20, 21 to define a common material transfer surface across which material first encountered by one of the knives is directed into the bowl.

The lateral outer ends of bar 19 have hangers 23 and 24 that are pivotally suspended in pendulum fashion from aligned stub shafts 25 and 26 mounted in the lower ends of vertically slidable bearing plates or guides 27 and 28 that ride in slotted way members or channel guideways 29 and 30 that are fixedly mounted on the opposite outer side walls 12 and 13 of the bowl 3.

The bearing plates or guides 27 and 28 are regulated vertically by means of cylinders 31 and 32 that are pivotally supported on the bowl walls 12 and 13 on pins 33 and 34 and which cylinders have their respective rams 35 and 36 pivotally joined on pins 37 and 38 that are integrally connected with the guides 27 and 28 respectively. By activation of cylinders 31 and 32 it is possible to impart vertical motion to the bar hanger pins 25 and 26 to bodily or swingably raise or lower the cutting blade apparatus 11 as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Tilting or bodily rocking motion or any intermediate adjustment is transmitted to the cutting blade apparatus through cylinders 39 and 40 pivotally carried on pins such as 41 on bracket 42. The cylinder rams 43 and 44 join with pivot pins 45 and 46 mounted on levers 47 and 48 that are secured to the aligned bar hanger pins 25 and 26 respectively.

For normal earth or material deflection or diversion purposes, the blade assembly 11 is held in a lowered angular position such as shown in FIG. 4 with the bearing plates or guides 27 and 28 in lowered stopped positions as determined by the lateral stop wings 4949 on guide 27 and 5050 on guide 28, such stops coming to rest upon their respective guideway elements 29 and 30 under expanded action of the respective operating cylinders 31 and 32 connected with the guides 27 and 28.

When the blade assembly is in the FIG. 4 position, the angular position of the blade knives 20 and 21 may be tilted into the full line position for loading under vehicle travel to the right or such knives may be tilted into the opposite angular position shown in broken lines to load while the vehicle travel is to the left. If desired or if conditions require a change in cutting blade angularity, further adjustments may be made through the cylinder and levers described. Other angular positions of the blade assembly will leave a gap between the higher blade and its adjacent receptacle or bowl wall but this may be readily closed by raising the blade structure through the cylinders 31 and 32 and their connected guides 27 and 28 as will be readily evident from the drawings.

This same angular adjustment relationship is also possible by merely raising the blade means with cylinders 31 and 32 under release of hydraulic pressure in cylinders 39 and 40 because the blade will then fulcrum at is contact point 51 with the bowl wall 15 thus adjusting blade tilt on the axis of pins 25 and 26. With this adjustment, the cylinders 39 and 40 may be pressurized again to lock the blade assembly in an adjusted position. This same procedure is equally possible for either reversible angle of tilt of the blade assembly.

It is with a similar action that the blade means may be made to close bowl opening 17 as the blade means can be made to tilt counterclockwise at fulcrum point 51, the full line showing in FIG. 4, or the blade can tilt clockwise at point 52 when in the broken line position, both actions being made possible by the bodily lift action of cylinders 31 and 32 through guides 27 and 28. The

blade is shown in a raised closed position in FIG. 2 and in two other selected positions in broken lines and in dot and dash lines.

In rocking or swinging the blade assembly 11, cylinders 39 and 40 are depressurized or partially vented as well as during the blade closure action to provide the very flexible cutting blade rocking function as Well as the closing action under complete control of the operator.

This rocking action of the blade means under fulcrum contact as described will swing the levers 47 and 48 toward upright positions upon blade closure contact as seen in FIG. 2 in full lines while cylinders 39 and 40 are vented. It is also possible to first use the cylinders 39 and 40 to move the blade means from an angular position into horizontal blade position as in the broken lined showing in FIG. 2 with cylinders 39 and 40 and to then energize cylinders 31 and 32 to raise the blade structure into the full line closing position indicated.

Thus the construction in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a simple reversible cutting blade means capable of bowl loading for either direction of travel of a material hauling vehicl receptable with the added facility of being capable of closing the access opening in the bowl from any position of cutting blade tilt.

In the modified construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cutting blade assembly 53 is pivotally suspended by hangers 54 and 55 from pins 56 and 57 fixedly mounted on the bearing brackets 58 and 59 mounted upon the side walls 60 and 61 of the bow 62. The blade assembly swings for reversible loading action at the opening 63 between wall ends 64 and 65 of the front and bottom walls 66 and 67 of the receptacle or bowl 62. Angular blade assembly control is furnished through cylinders 68 and 69 having their rams 70 and 71 connected with levers 72 and 73 securely mounted on pins 56 and 57 respectively.

In cooperation with the swingable cutting blade assembly 53 this construction incorporates individual slidable gates to vary or to close the opening 63 alternately depending upon which position the blade assembly occupies under operation of the vehicle. One such gate 74 is slidably guided in a guide member 75 and is cylinder actuated by ram 76 connected at pin 77. This gate would be the closing facility for the receptacle bowl with the blade assembly in the loading angle shown in full lines in FIG. 6.

When the blade assembly 53 is in the broken line position in FIG. 6, a gate 78, slidable in a guideway member 79, is power actuated by a cylinder 80 having its ram 81 pivotally connected on a pin 82 carried by ear 83 on the upper end of the gate 78.

The FIGS. 5 and 6 construction, therefore, comprises a reversible cutting blade assembly to direct material into a receptacle opening from alternate positions while the vehicle having the receptacle travels in either fore or aft directions and individual closure gat mechanisms coact with the blade assembly to close the receptacle opening in accordance with the particular angular disposition of the cutting blade assembly in relation to the access opening of the receptacle.

The above described and disclosed forms of the invention provide exemplary structures of the inventive concept and certain changes in the combinations shown or in the individual elements are contemplated without departing from the invention. Such modifications are only to be limited by the breadth and scope of the appended claims directed to the reversible cutting blade means of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A material carrying bowl of an earth Working facility comprising, in combination, a movable enclosure having a material access opening therein for material passage into said enclosure, a cutting blade assembly carried by said enclosure and in operative relation to the enclosure opening, pivotal means on said enclosure connected to support said blade assembly in one selected angular tilted position at one side of the enclosure opening for material deflection and diversion into the opening from the surface being worked upon movement of said enclosure in one direction over said surface, operative means connected with the blade assembly to regulate the angular tilt thereof between said one tilted position and another opposite position of tilt to cause material deflection and diversion into the enclosure opening when said enclosure is being moved over the surface being worked in an opposite direction of motion, said enclosure having two walls thereof terminating in spaced relation to provide the for and aft terminal edges of the enclosure opening when considered along the line of travel of said enclosure, and said pivotal means for said blade assembly being disposed intermediate the two wall edges of said enclosure for blade assembly contact individually with one or the other of said wall edges in accordance with the respective angle of tilt of said blade assembly in relation to said enclosure opening.

2. In th combination of claim 1 wherein controlled movable supporting mechanism is provided to carry said pivotal means of said blade assembly to bodily move said pivotal means to cause said blade assembly to fulcrum into closed position across said opening by contact of the blade assembly with one or the other of said wall edges depending upon the inclination of tilt of the blade assembly.

3. In the combination of claim 1 with the addition of individual gate members movably mounted on each of said two walls to move toward or away from the blade assembly to close the enclosure opening, one gate cooperating with said blade assembly to close said opening when the assembly is tilted in one inclined position and the other gate cooperating with said blade assembly to close the opening when said assembly is tilted in another inclined position.

4. A material carrying bowl of an earth working facility comprising, in combination, a movable enclosure having a material access opening therein for material passage into said enclosure, a cutting blade assembly carried by said enclosure and in operative relation to th enclosure opening, pivotal means on said enclosure connected to support said blade assembly in one selected angular tilted position at one side of the enclosure opening for material deflection and diversion into the opening from the surface being worked upon movement of said enclosure in one direction over said surface, operative means connected with the blade assembly to regulate the angular tilt thereof between said one tilted position and another opposite position of tilt to cause material deflection and diversion into the enclosure opening when said enclosure is being moved over the surface being worked in an opposite direction of motion, and control means interposed between and connected with said enclosure and said pivotal means whereby to actuate said pivotal means and its connected blade assembly in a direction to close the enclosure opening by means of said blade assembly.

5. In the combination of claim 4 wherein swingable means are connected with said pivotal means supporting said blade assembly and power means are connected with said swingable means to actuate said blade assembly into various selected angular tilted positions in relation to said enclosure opening.

6. A material carrying bowl of an earth working facility comprising, in combination, a movable enclosure having a generally rectangular material access opening therein for material passage into said enclosure, a cutting blade assembly, said cutting blade assembly comprising a rigid support member having opposed material deflecting portions, said access opening and said cutting blade assembly being generally transverse to the direction of movement of said bowl, pivotal means interconnecting said enclosure and cutting blade assembly and supporting said blade assembly adjacent said access opening, selectively operable power means operably interconnected to said bowl and blade assembly for pivoting the blade assembly about said pivot means between selected angular tilted positions at opposite longer sides of said opening, on of said opposed material deflecting portions deflecting material into said enclosure during forward movement of said bowl and the other of said opposed material deflecting portions deflecting material into said bowl during rearward movement of said bowl.

7. In the combination of claim 6 wherein said rigid support member of said Cutting blade assembly is pro vided with hanger members swingably mounted on said pivotal means, and replaceable cutting blades are mounted upon the lateral forward and rearward edges of said support member in material penetrating positions considered in the line of travel of said enclosure and in the line of movement of said blade assembly of the enclosure.

8. A scraper bowl adapted to load and discharge material in fore and aft directions of movement, comprising; a pair of sidewalls rigidly interconnecting a pair of converging downwardly inclined fore and aft walls defining an elongated material loading and discharge opening extending substantially parallel to said last named walls; a cutting blade assembly having spaced fore and aft cutting edges merging with a common material transfer surface therebetween; means mounting said blade assembly on said bowl in substantial parallelism with said last named walls for selective movement between extreme positions defining selective paths of material flow between said common material transfer surface and one of said walls; the fore and aft width of the blade being greater than the corresponding width of the bowl opening; and said last named means further including vertically operable lift mechanism for moving said blade into a position closing said bowl opening.

9. A scraper bowl adapted to load and discharge material in fore and aft directions of movement, comprising; a pair of sidewalls rigidly interconnecting a pair of converging downwardly inclined fore and aft walls defining an elongated material loading and discharge opening extending substantially parallel to said last named walls; a cutting blade assembly having spaced fore and aft cutting edges merging with a common material transfer surface therebetween; means mounting said blad assembly on said bowl in substantial parallelism with said last named walls for selective movement between extreme positions defining selective paths of material flow between said common material transfer surface and one of said walls; fore and aft individual movable closure gates on said bowl for closing said opening in coaction with said cutting blade assembly through the use of one or the other of said gates depending upon the particular angle of tilt established by said blade in filling said bowl through said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 476,262 6/1892 Grant 37-129 1,198,217 9/1916 Harkins 37--126 2,061,924 11/1936 Slate 37129 XR 2,425,601 8/1947 Daniels 37126 2,545,739 3/1951 Martin 37-126 XR 2,548,461 4/1951 Arps 37126 2,718,718 9/1955 Bartlett 37 126 2,774,154 12/1956 MCNeice 7126 3,235,985 2/1966 Lauster 37117.5 XR

EDGAR S. BURR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

